Why are products missing from these IKEA ads?

In Denmark, IKEA's popular catalogue has moved entirely online. And to make sure that customers get the message, the Swedish furniture group has rolled out a clever campaign that sees items cut out of its ads.

We've seen some genius print ads in our time, but nothing quite like these ones, created in partnership with IKEA and Danish agency Hjaltelin Stahl. In the campaign, products are cut out from the posters, leaving a see-through silhouette that is sure to pique the interest of passers by.

It's a brilliant way of advertising the furniture and the catalogue without actually showing anything. To complete the ads, a headline on each one shows curious shoppers know where to go: "Find all the new furniture at Ikea.dk".

Smart, simple, and effective, we'd expect nothing less from IKEA. The company has a track record of witty advertising, just take its hilarious cheese grater ad, which made a joke at Apple's expense.

"For us at Ikea and for the many Ikea fans we have in Denmark, the decision to digitise the printed catalog is really a big thing," the marketing manager of IKEA Denmark, Elefteria Cromlidou, told Adweek in a statement.

"2019 marks a new chapter in Ikea Denmark's history, where in the future we will inspire the many people through the digital platforms they already use, with relevant content that meets their style, wishes and needs."

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